>One of the very few times we disagree. Giving stuff away is about
>becoming bigger. It's not about the people you give the stuff too; it's
>about the giver who thus gets to expand into the infinite future. It's
>about being remembered. It's about buying a stairway to heaven. It's
>about fame, notoriety.
I don't disagree with any of that. I thought that was what I was saying, its about status for the giver. You seem to have emphasised the future and the being remembered aspect, whereas I simply talked about status in the present. But I thought I was saying that its about the giver.
>If they had any humanity, they would not have
>taken the money in the first place.
But you can't give stuff away if you don't have it to give. ;-) To expand on an old philosophy - its better to give than to receive ...even if you have to steal it first. Like Al Capone, or John Wren http://www.abc.net.au/tv/rewind/txt/s1209456.htm, both noted for their criminal careers as well as their generosity.
Bill Bartlett Bracknell Tas